If you haven’t strolled through the concourse at Rockefeller Center since the pandemic, you may not recognize it.
Where once stood chain coffee shops, generic tourist restaurants, and clothing stores, you can now find a series of high end restaurants brought to you by local food celebrities. There are some exciting destination dining options at Rockefeller Center. Right near the ice skating rink, if you can believe it!
While many of the new spots (like Le Rock and Naro) are for special occasions only (at least in my world), I committed to splurging for a weekday breakfast at Five Acres.
Five Acres is from Greg Baxtrom, the chef and owner of Olmsted in Brooklyn. Some may say he sold out, but others can’t argue that he has made it to the big leagues now.
The open dining room very much reminds me of the Bar Room at the Modern (where I used to work). It feels like it could be in a museum, a library, an airport, or I guess in the concourse of one of NYC’s major tourist destinations. And no doubt that is part of why I ordered the bacon, egg, and cheese.
It arrived in a matter of seconds. The visual appeal was evident right away as the egg square came wearing a tempting croissant hat. That laminated bun gave a buttery luxurious style to a very universal sandwich.
The egg was pre-cooked, I’m sure, but also warm and soft. The liquified cheese didn’t really show up flavor wise until the end when it made a rich appearance taking a bow after the smoky perfectly crisp bacon from Nueske’s.
Cutting the richness of the sandwich was some lettuce and the surprising addition of a sweet/spicy/smoky aji dulce pepper sauce. It acted a bit like a secret sauce but remained fancy and satisfying.
This sandwich definitely gave a nod to a pre-packaged egg sandwich you might find at a museum café or airport, but with technical precision and no greasy heartburn.
I watched other patrons in business attire eating this thing with a knife and fork. While Rockefeller Center’s food scene may have been re-imagined, this is still New York after all. I devoured it with my hands. Price: $15
| FIVE ACRES |
| 3O Rockefeller Center (between Fifth and Sixth Avenue), Rockefeller Center, Rink Level Midtown West (212) 951-0040 |
| fiveacresnyc.com |
